Book Review: Fearless Daughters of the Bible

Women, be ready to be inspired and challenged with J. Lee Grady’s new book, Fearless Daughters of the Bible.  The subtitle describes the book well:  “What you can learn from 22 women who challenged tradition, fought injustice and dared to lead.”

It’s packed with stories of women overcoming personal challenges and defying cultural norms to do God’s work.  There are stories of women in the Bible, ranging from common names like Ruth, Esther and Mary Magdalene, to less told stories of the daughters of Caleb, Philip the Evangelist and the Apostle Paul.  The author takes some liberty to guess the feelings and thoughts of the characters, so it definitely does not read like a traditional Bible story.   There are also stories of women from the last century who are using their gifts to lead boldly in their places around the world. 

It stands against the modern day churches assumption that women should not be leaders in the church, and paints of picture of the many ways God used women to lead communities in the Bible.  But interestingly, the book is written by a male pastor, not a woman.

It challenges women to use their God-given gifts to lead, mentor, protect, forgive, and speak for God.  Each chapter introduces a common hurdle that women must overcome in order to serve God whole-heartedly, such as fear, insecurity, healing from abuse…  He suggests practical steps to grow stronger.

It’s very well-written.  It’s very inspiring.  I think it is a great read for older teens and adult women.  It would also be a great tool for a women’s Bible study.  I would suggest reading a chapter a day, rather than trying to read straight through the text in a few long reading sessions.

Disclosure:  I received this book from Baker Publishing Group in exchange for my honest review.